Benchmark goal in sight as Beijing tops 2021 list

Beijing is getting closer to its goal of becoming a benchmark of the global digital economy with the largest number of new economy businesses in China, according to the 2021 list of China's top 500 new economy enterprises released in July.

The new economy consists of new industries, new business formats and new business models concentrated in nine key fields. They include the internet, advanced manufacturing, new energy, modern productive service activities, modern information technology services and new types of life-enhancing services.

This year, tech conglomerate Tencent won the crown, followed by e-commerce giant Alibaba and Beijing-headquartered tech titan Byte-Dance.

The list was compiled by the China Enterprise Evaluation Association, and ranked entrants in the country by a comprehensive evaluation that considered each company's size, growth rate, profitability, innovation capacity, job positions, social influence and internationalization.

The list offers a snapshot of how reliable and strong Beijing is in terms of nurturing new economy enterprises, a local official said.

Jiang Guangzhi, deputy director of the Beijing Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, said at the 2022 Global Digital Economy Conference held in Beijing last month that the city has actively responded to a national call for the digital economy, an important component of the new economy, and issued implementation plans to accelerate the development of its digital economy.

"Beijing has given full play to its scientific and technological experts and talents, information industries and resources," Jiang said.

"So far, the city has achieved fruitful results in the development of its digital economy. Construction of new infrastructure related to the digital economy and smart cities has progressed.

"Beijing now has a bulk of cutting-edge technologies, which keep the capital ahead of the game, and it has seen a number of digital economy demonstration projects steadily progress."

Chaoyang district in Beijing is a pioneer in embracing the digital economy, said Ma Ye, deputy director of the district's bureau of science technology and information technology.

Chaoyang has recently launched its Beijing CBD Global Reception Hall, an online space where users can network while enjoying a spectacular view of the city's skyline. It is the first of its kind in the nation, a local official said.

In 2021, the added value of Beijing's digital economy reached 1.6 trillion yuan ($231.3 billion), accounting for 40.4 percent of the capital's GDP.

In the first half of this year, Beijing's GDP reached 1.94 trillion yuan, up 0.7 percent year-on-year. The development of the new economy enterprises in such fields as digital economy, scientific and technological innovation, and research and development have supported Beijing's economic growth, local officials said.

yinruowei@chinadaily.com.cn